Water pockets, namely reservoirs for storing water received from underground water pumping equipment

ABSTRACT

A water pocket for use in connection with the removal of water from a well includes a galvanized tank having an inlet and an air outlet disposed above the inlet. A submerged sludge pump serves to pump water through an additional outlet having a nonreturn valve therein. The tank can be mounted on the top of a well casing.

United States Patent lnventor Appl. No.

Filed Patented Assignee Priority Heinrich Hudig Celle-Altencelle, Germany 778,488

Nov. 25, 1968 Jan. 26, 1971 Firma Hudig K G, Celle-Altencelle, Germany a German body corporate June 29, 1968 Germany WATER POCKETS, NAMELY RESERVOIRS FOR STORING WATER RECEIVED FROM UNDERGROUND WATER PUMPING EQUIPMENT 1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 222/385, 417/86 Int. Cl ..F04b 23/04, B17d 5/1 10 Field of Search 103/5, 5(5); 222/385 cuoouoooooooo References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Oishei Veitch, Sr. et al. Reed Jeep, Jr. et al. Horst Schinke Roach Primary Examiner-Carlton R. Croyle Assistant ExaminerWarren J. Krauss Att0rneyMas0n, Mason and Albright ABSTRACT: A water pocket for use in connection with the removal of water from a well includes a galvanized tank having an inlet and an air outlet disposed above the inlet. A submerged sludge pump serves to pump water through an additional outlet having a nonretum valve therein. The tank can be mounted on the top of a well casing.

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SHEU 2 OF 2 uooquuooooooo INVENTOR Nemmcu Humg ATTORNEYS WATER ROCKETS, NAMELY RESERVOIRS FOR STORING WATER RECEIVED FROM UNDERGROUND WATER PUMPING EQUIPMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a water pocket, primarily for incorporation in a header pipe operating in vacuum conditions in ground water lowering equipment, or for connection to a well.

Ground water lowering installations are mainly operated with vacuum pumps and diaphragm pumps. These pumps are able to deal with the mixture of air and water taken from ground water lowering equipment. The installation proper consists of a system of pipes connected to a number of wells. Because of the multiplicity of wells, high turbulence is set up in the header pipe and there is thus a substantial loss of pressure. At the center of the header pipe, a pipe is usually fitted, which can pump I20 cu.m. of water, for example, at a vacuum of 9 m. The vacuum prevailing in the header pipe becomes progressively less from well to well. At the end of the header pipe, the vacuum has dropped to about 5.5 m. At the first well, with a vacuum of about 8 m., it is still possible to pump about l cu.m. of water; theoretically, the water level can be lowered in this way by about 5 m. In the last well, however, with a vacuum of about 5.5 m., the amount of water that can still be pumped is only about 4 cu.m./hr., for which reason the water table can be dropped only a further 3 m.

The reduced pumping rate comes about by virtue of the fact that at a vacuum of 5.5. m. the water likewise can be lifted only 5.5 m. This no longer suffices to produce a vacuum in the filter itself, such as is needed to overcome the filter intake resistance, so that the inflow of water at the last well must be induced solely by atmospheric pressure. In ground water lowering, the lowered water table depends basically on the weakest working well.

It would be possible, of course, to give the header pipe a larger diameter. For an amount of I20 cu.m. of water, for example, a nominal width of 250 mm. would be required to achieve approximately the same result. With an amount of about 183 mm. of water, a header pipe having a nominal width of 300 NW would be needed to achieve the same result. Header pipes of this nominal bore can be made, but they are avoided in construction work, because they are awkward to handle and because of the increased cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, there is provided within the water pocket, a pump, more particularly of the submerged sludge type, which drives the water in the water pocket into a pressure pipe, so that the vacuum generation arising from the extraction of the water supports the vacuum in the header pipe or well.

Another feature of the water pocket conforming to the invention, the delivery connection of which is joined to the pressure pipe, is that a nonretum valve is fitted in the delivery connection joined by a pipe to the sum submerged sludge pump, to prevent the entry of air into this pump.

There is advantage in providing an air vent in the pipe.

According to a further feature of the invention in the'water pocket, with an intake connection and an overflow, which can be connected to the header pipe, the overflow connection to the water pocket is situated higher than the intake connection.

In one embodiment in accordance with the invention, water pockets are incorporated into the header-pipe connection and are preferably equipped with submerged sludge pumps, which pump the water arising up to that point from the water pockets into a pressure pipe, so that the water need not flow through the entire header pipe. In this way, frictional losses are reduced. The vacuum of 9 m., for example, produced by the main pump is propagated throughout the entire pipe system and approximately the same amount of water can be pumped at both the first and the last wells.

2 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a vertical diagrammatic section of one embodiment of a water pocket in accordance with the invention; and FIG. 2 is a vertical diagrammatic section of another embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The water pocket includes a hollow vessel 1, which is preferably in the form of a hot-galvanized steel tank. This hollow vessel 1 is fitted with an intake connection 2, while an overflow 3, is fitted at the highest point. The connection of the overflow 2 to the water pocket is situated higher than the intake connection 2. A pump 4, preferably of the submerged sludge type, is fitted within the hollow vessel 1.

The pump 4 is connected by a pipe 5 to a delivery connection 7, to which the delivery pipe (not shown) is connected. An air vent 6, is provided in the pipe 5.

' Fitted in the delivery connection 7 is a nonretum valve 8, by which air is prevented from entering the submerged sludge pump.

The mode of operation of the first embodiment of the water pocket, according to the invention, is as follows:

The entire pipe system and hence also the water pocket is cleared of air by a vacuum pipe inserted; in the pipe connection. The vacuum created in the pipe system and well forces the water into the filter well. This now flows via the well and the header pipe into the vacuum pipe that is producing the vacuum. The waterflows through the water pocket and thus, by reason of the judiciously placed intake and overflow connections 2 and 3, submerges the pump 4 installed within the hollow vessel 1.

If this pump 4 be now started up, it will drive the water through the delivery connection 7 to a pressure pipe laid parallel. Since water is being taken from the water pocket, a further void is created, which acts to recreate the vacuum. What is entering through the well, however, is not merely water, but mainly a mixture of air and water. This mixture of air and water is likewise drawnthrough the header pipe towards the vacuum pump. When this mixture enters the water pocket, the water, being heavier, falls to the bottom of the hollow vessel 1', while the air, being lighter, .is evacuated towards the vacuum pump through the overflow connection 3, this being situated at the highest point.

In FIG. 2, the water pocket is shown in communication with a well. This arrangement should be employed where, in the case of very deep structures, the connection of an'installation cannot be built in and the movement of water therefore has to be carried out through a well. Here the well is designed for a correspondingly higher output. The mode of operation is the same as described in connection of the header pipe, but in the vertical superstructure of the individual well.

I claim:

1. A water pocket for installation in a header pipe operating under vacuum conditions in a system for ground water lowering, said water pocket comprising: 1

a vessel having opposed upper and lower walls and wall means extending between saidupper and lower walls; means defining an inlet in said wall means; means defining a discharge outlet in the said upper wall; means defining a water overflow outlet in said upper wall, said overflow outlet being higher than said inlet and said overflow outlet and said inlet being arranged for connection to said header pipe; I

a sludge pump disposed within said vessel and supported on said lower wall, said pump having means defining an inlet, and means defining an outlet, said inlet being situated adjacent said lower wall;

pipe means providing communication between the outlet of said pump and the said discharge outlet in said upper wall;

means defining a delivery connection extending upwardly from said upper wall in communication with said stantially straight flow passage for water discharged from the outlet of said pump; and a nonreturn valve fitted in said delivery connection. 

1. A water pocket for installation in a header pipe operating under vacuum conditions in a system for ground water lowering, said water pocket comprising: a vessel having opposed upper and lower walls and wall means extending betweEn said upper and lower walls; means defining an inlet in said wall means; means defining a discharge outlet in the said upper wall; means defining a water overflow outlet in said upper wall, said overflow outlet being higher than said inlet and said overflow outlet and said inlet being arranged for connection to said header pipe; a sludge pump disposed within said vessel and supported on said lower wall, said pump having means defining an inlet, and means defining an outlet, said inlet being situated adjacent said lower wall; pipe means providing communication between the outlet of said pump and the said discharge outlet in said upper wall; means defining a delivery connection extending upwardly from said upper wall in communication with said discharge outlet, said delivery connection having an outlet aligned with the said discharge outlet on the said upper wall, said pipe means and delivery pipe defining a substantially straight flow passage for water discharged from the outlet of said pump; and a nonreturn valve fitted in said delivery connection. 